Process Commercialization - The Importance of Good Project Management

Commercial success for scaling new or modified processes into manufacturing can be measured in terms of economics, meeting key investment objectives; as well as by product quality, meeting the expectations of customers. The time to commercialization and the cost to construct and operate these processes play a large role in defining economic success. The ability to consistently produce the product within accepted quality limits enables the desired financial performance to be realized. The technical quality of the piloting and scale-up work has a large impact in all of these areas. Equally important, and sometimes overlooked in the early stages of a development project, are several aspects of good project management. Development project management has a significant impact on the ultimate performance of a new or modified process. This presentation will focus on several topics which, if done properly, can have a major positive effect on commercialization success, including:

• Formation of the development team
• Early concept development
• Development and scale-up risk assessments
• Planning and executing the experimental program
• Effective communications
• When to proceed to commercial design
• What to do between developmental “hand-off” and start-up
• Team continuity through start-up